Microsoft announced the device on its Windows Phone blog just before Samsung officially launched it at the IFA trade show in Berlin.

This announcement marks a raft of new devices being launched by the South Korean firm, which is still reeling from being ordered to pay $1.05 billion (£665 million) to Apple over infringing design patents.

Vice president of Gartner Ken Dulaney told BBC News that Samsung's new strategy appears to be to try and make whatever device the market seems to need.

"Their greatest strengths are engineering and manufacturing and they use those strengths to sort out what the market wants. In contrast, American companies typically spend more time on pre-development research," Mr Dulaney added.